Taheke is the Maori word for 'waterfall'. The three movements of this work are each a musical depiction of a particular waterfall in New Zealand. The first is the mighty Huka Falls near Taupo. The broad and placid Waikato River is channelled gradually into an increasingly narrow chute, ultimately erupting into a waterfall of unbelievable power and fury; then as quickly as it has bullt up, the water subsides back into a calmly flowing river. The waterfall in the second movement is in the Marlborough Sounds, utterly secluded in the bush and only accessible on foot through thick undergrowth. This waterfall is cool, dark, and mysterious. The finale represents the grandeur and sprightly elegance of the Whangarei Falls in Northland, a beautiful cascade of sparkling rivulets.